Intro to Computing – Weeks 1 & 2

Week 1 – Importance & Scope of Information Technology

• IT turns former dreams into present-day realities; many existing conveniences have been enhanced through computing.
• Societal dependence on IT spans communication, commerce, science, health, art, governance, and daily living.
• Ethical lens: wider access → digital divide; innovation → obligation to build inclusive, secure, and sustainable tech.

Why Choose a Career in Computing?

• Job Market
  • Government forecasts predict high demand “well into the future.”
  • \text{IT unemployment rate} \approx \text{half the national average in many countries} (contextual industry fact).
• Social Dimension
  • Work is highly collaborative; communication skills are rewarded.
• Mobility
  • Global demand allows remote work, freelancing, or relocation abroad.
• Innovative Space
  • Graduates design “the world of tomorrow” → continuous creativity.
• Flexibility
  • Options: \text{full-time office} \; | \; \text{part-time remote} \; | \; \text{short-term contracts}.
• Variety
  • Roles span development, design, management, research → reduced boredom.

Nature of the BS in IT Field of Study

• Covers planning, installation, customization, operation, administration & maintenance of hardware + software infrastructure.
• Goal: produce computing solutions tailored to organizational needs.
• Graduates select, develop, integrate & manage tech across the enterprise.

Program Goal (CSTA BSIT)

• Produce globally competent, innovative, socially & ethically responsible professionals.
• Emphasis on lifelong learning & contributing to national development.

Industries Actively Hiring IT Graduates

• Transportation / Travel
  • AI for self-driving cars; safer avionics.
  • Jobs: software engineer, logistics engineer, supply-chain engineer, data scientist.
• Education
  • Ed-Tech products aim to reform learning.
  • Roles: technical implementation analyst, web developer, IS analyst.
• Healthcare
  • Tech drives medical research & clinical systems.
  • Roles: clinical informatics manager, interface developer, business analyst.
• Retail & E-Commerce
  • Digital storefronts, immersive in-store experiences.
  • Roles: customer analytics manager, mobile experience manager, data scientist.
• Media & Entertainment
  • 5G → new content forms; disruption & growth.
  • Roles: web/app developer, audiovisual engineer, data analyst.
• Finance & Insurance
  • Secure, efficient data handling.
  • Roles: business analyst, applications architect, network admin.
• Manufacturing
  • Highest-paid title: information technology manager.
  • Need for secure, optimized shop-floor systems.
• Telecommunications
  • Critical dependence on IT for network operations.
  • Roles: data-center ops manager, IT director, info-sec specialist.

Week 2 – Professions & Careers in Computing

1. Computer & Information Research Scientist – invent new tech & improve existing.
2. Computer Network Architect – design WAN/LAN/intranets.
3. CNC Programmers/Operators – laser cutting, EDM, lathes.
4. Computer Programmer – write code instructing computers.
5. IT / IS Manager – oversee organizational tech.
6. Computer Scientist (theorist, analyst, DB admin).
7. Computer Teacher – academia & training.
8. Computer Technician – install/repair hardware.
9. Computer Hardware Engineer – design & optimize physical systems.
10. Computer Operator – run & secure hardware systems.
11. Software Engineer – develop OS, games, word processors.
12. Support Specialist – help-desk & tech support.
13. Systems Analyst – design networks, advise on equipment/software.
14. Database Administrator – organize & secure data.
15. Information Security Analyst – defend against cyber-threats.
16. Application Software Developer – programs for PCs, phones, SaaS.
17. Systems Software Developer – OS, game engines, cloud platforms.
18. Systems Administrator – ensure network uptime meets user needs.
19. Web Developer – HTML, CSS, JS, Ruby, Perl, ASP, PHP.
20. Game Developer – build playable products from design docs.
21. UI/UX Designer – research, wire-frame, prototype interfaces.
22. Graphic Designer – craft visual communications.

Computing Domains (Academic & Research Perspectives)

1. Computer Science Theory
   • Limits of computation, algorithmic complexity.
   • Cryptography – encryption/decryption security models.
   • Machine Learning – design new algorithms & learning bounds.
2. Hardware Engineering – chip architecture, circuit design.
3. Networking – protocols, QoS, P2P algorithms, load balancing.
4. Graphics – animation, data visualization.
5. Programming Languages – optimization, functionality, productivity.
6. Software Engineering – large-scale design & implementation.
7. Systems Programming – OS, DBMS, distributed computing; resource profiling.
8. (Number skipped in transcript) 9. Information Technology – end-to-end creation, storage, security & exchange of e-data; coined by Harvard Business Review.

Five Computing Disciplines

• Computer Engineering – design circuits, microchips, instruction sets.
• Computer Science – architectures & programming foundations.
• Information Systems – business-oriented application of tech; fits students with lighter math aptitude.
• Information Technology – hands-on equipment/software deployment, security, maintenance.
• Software Engineering – disciplined creation of reliable, scalable software, often safety-critical.

Core IT Knowledge Areas

1. IT Fundamentals – keyboarding, word-processing, core concepts.
2. Human-Computer Interaction – user-centered design lifecycle.
3. Information Assurance & Security – human factors, risk, ethics.
4. Information Management – DB design, SQL, data modeling.
5. Integrative Programming & Technologies – APIs, scripting, middleware.
6. Math & Statistics for IT – discrete math, counting, digital logic.
7. Networking – layered models, distributed computing, security.
8. Platform Technologies – CPU, memory, OS internals, I/O, multi-user systems.
9. Programming Fundamentals – logic formulation, problem solving.
10. System Administration & Maintenance – Windows/Linux account & resource mgmt.
11. System Integration & Architecture – strategies & emerging trends.
12. Social & Professional Issues – ethics, privacy, IP, cyberlaw, digital divide.
13. Web Systems & Technologies – (content truncated in source) web foundations.

Definition of a Computer

• General-purpose programmable device executing arithmetic & logic automatically.
• Historical term “computer” (17th c.) originally described human calculators.

Early Computing Devices & Their Significance

• Abacus (c.2400\,\text{BC} Babylonia; developed in China 12^{th} century AD) – first manual data-processing frame.
• Napier’s Bones (1617) – reduced multiplication to addition via logarithms.
• Oughtred’s Slide Rule (17th c.) – two logarithmic rulers → rapid multiply/divide.
• Leibniz Stepped Reckoner (completed 1694) – add, subtract, multiply, divide, extract \sqrt{\phantom{x}}.
• Babbage Difference Engine (started 1822) – polynomial root/log table automation.
• Babbage Analytical Engine (concept) – operation cards + variable cards → ancestor of stored-program idea.
• Hollerith Tabulating Machine (1890 US Census) – 3\,\times5 inch punched cards; processed 300 cards/min; progenitor of IBM.
• Jacquard Loom (demonstrated 1801) – punched-card controlled textile patterns → inspired computing input media.
• Arithmometer (patented 1820; manufactured 1851–1915) – first dependable office calculator.
• Comptometer (patented 1887) – key-driven, ultra-fast mechanical calculator.

Pioneering Electronic & Electro-Mechanical Computers

• Colossus (prototype 1943; operational 1944) – first programmable electronic digital computer; cracked Lorenz cipher.
• Harvard Mark I / ASCC (completed 1944)
  • \approx50\,\text{ft} long × 8\,\text{ft} high.
  • 700{,}000 moving parts; processed 8-digit numbers; multiplied three 8-digit nums in 1\,\text{s}.
• ENIAC (1943-1946)
  • 18{,}000 vacuum tubes; >1000× faster than electro-mechanical peers.
  • Solved nuclear physics problem in 2 hours vs 100 years manually.
• EDVAC (1946-1949)
  • Introduced binary arithmetic + stored-program capability.
• EDSAC (first run 6\,\text{May }1949) – built at Cambridge; mercury delay-line memory.
• Atanasoff-Berry Computer (1939-1942)
  • Solved up to 29 unknown linear equations.
  • Court ruling 1973 credited Atanasoff as originator of electronic digital concepts.
• UNIVAC I (commercial release 1951) – first U.S. commercial computer.

Influential Personalities

• Ada Lovelace (1815–1852) – authored first algorithm → “first programmer.”
• Charles Babbage (1791–1871) – “father of the modern computer;” programmable machine concept.

Computer Generations (Electronics Milestones)

1. First Generation – vacuum tubes.
2. Second Generation – transistors.
3. Third Generation – integrated circuits.
4. Fourth Generation – very-large-scale integration (VLSI); current mainstream.
5. Fifth Generation (emerging) – AI, quantum, nanotech.

Ethical & Practical Implications (Cross-Topic)

• Cybersecurity threats → mandatory IA&S knowledge.
• Data privacy laws (e.g., GDPR, DMCA) influence system design.
• Social justice: bridging digital divide, ensuring accessibility & inclusivity.
• Lifelong learning: tech half-life demands continual upskilling (~2-3 years per major paradigm shift).

Real-World Connections & Study Tips

• Map academic domains to job roles (e.g., Networking → Network Architect; HCI → UI/UX Designer).
• Build foundational math & logic early; underpins algorithms, cryptography, AI.
• Practice ethical decision-making scenarios (privacy breach, IP theft, bias in ML).
• Follow historical evolution to appreciate current abstractions (cards → assembly → high-level languages → cloud APIs).
• Engage in projects spanning multiple knowledge areas (e.g., web app with secure DB + responsive UI) for integrative competence.